Music: Icecrown

Since I wanted the ICC music files anyway, and since I insinuated that I don't particularly enjoy Icecrown's zone music, I figured I'd give it a chance and give all those music files a good listen. I'd say I've gained somewhat more of an appreciation for it—I can fly all the way through the zone without becoming enraged, and can even complete the Tournament dailies that take you to Deathspeaker's Watch and beyond without disabling the music. But I still have to remove my headset when I take my alt questing in the zone, and I don't think that will ever change. It's a shame, too, because I like the music in both Hrothgar's Landing and the Argent Tournament, but in order to get there (or from one to the other) you have to pass through the gauntlet of Icecrown proper, repetitive music and all.

The music seems to swing between the DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN of some loud anvil-type banging and the toodle toodle tinkle toodle of a delicate wandering organ line that always reminds me of Harry Potter. The different iterations of of Icecrown music generally all follow the same basic formula: a steady percussion line that alternates between 4 beats of rhythmic pounding and 4 beats of silence; a muted line in an upper register of the organ; and a blazing angular line—in either organ or brass (or both at once)—that holds each harsh note for 4 beats before moving on (thus, every second note coincides with the percussion). Now and then some kind of low male-voice choral wailing surfaces. Once in a while a downward cascading string line (like gentle snowfall) breaks the rhythmic monotony.

Each music file highlights a different component in a different way. For example, in some files, the pounding percussion changes up the intensity of the rhythm by adding a couple double-time notes; so, instead of the steady DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN you might get DUH-DUH DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN (where "DUH-DUH" occupies the same time as one "DUHN"—highly official terminology, I know). Sometimes this rhythmic ostinato is reinforced by booming brass. Or, the angular brass line is given a greater degree of volume and harshness to bring it to the foreground. The organ tinkling sometimes takes new directions in its wandering, in a permutative (yet not jarring) manner. Sometimes one component will be withdrawn entirely. The permutations add enough difference to be noticeable, but often not enough to convince you that you've encountered a new music file. Where this musical theme really shines is when it merges with Icecrown Citadel's music—but that's a complex melodious place that deserves its own post.